Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of security and more particularly in the field of electronic entry systems.
Related Art
Room security in hotels and other environments where people take possession of a space for short durations is problematic because of the need for keys. Mechanical locks with traditional mechanical keys were for many years the only solution, and the same keys were passed from guest to guest, in the case of hotel rooms. Such keys, however, are readily duplicated, while the locks are cumbersome to rekey. In recent years the standard has shifted to electronically controlled locks, the most common being the type that includes a magnetic card reader, sometime called a Mag-stripe lock mechanism. Each time the space is given to a new guest, the code necessary to enter the space is changed and a new key card is issued with the code magnetically encoded on the magnetic stripe. Other examples of electronically controlled locks include an RFID reader and can be opened when an RFID chip with the proper code is within range.
In order to unlock a door without inserting the mag-stripe card into the reader of the lock, it is necessary to have access to its internal components of the electronic lock within the lock protective housing and connect to a proprietary connector embedded therein. This process requires opening the lock housing and making a connection to the custom connector embedded into the lock. Many different types of embedded connectors are known to exist.